St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota House of Representatives approved the Omnibus Health and Human Services bill on Monday by a 70-64 vote. State Representative Joe Radinovich (DFL – Crosby) voted against the legislation.
The bill reduces the HHS budget by $150 million over two years. In addition to reductions and savings, the bill includes about $100 million in hospital surcharges.
Rep. Radinovich released the following statement on his vote.
“After hearing feedback from my constituents, area nursing homes and hospitals, I could not support this bill in its current state. While there are a number of great provisions in this bill and I understand that the committee worked very hard in difficult circumstances, I am concerned about the impact this bill would have on our nursing homes and hospitals.
“Our HHS budget has faced devastating cuts over the last decade, including $4.2 billion in cuts just since 2008. It is important for the state to enact cuts and find government efficiencies as part of our overall budget, but our nursing home and long-term care workers haven’t received a wage increase in four years. They deserve an increase and a larger one than what was proposed today. I am also concerned about the impact the surcharge could have on Cuyuna Regional Medical Center and Riverwood Healthcare Center.
“Despite my ‘no’ vote today, I will continue advocating our behalf of our seniors, nursing homes, poor and vulnerable as this bill moves through the legislative process and on to conference committee.”
Rep. Radinovich encourages constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Radinovich can be reached by phone at 651-296-2365 or by email at rep.joe.radinovich@house.mn. Constituents can also visit Rep. Radinovich’s legislative page and sign up for email updates.